1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a medical suturing device ideally suited for use in minimally-invasive surgery, and more particularly to a laparoscopic suturing device for suturing incisions during laparoscopic surgery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increasingly popular practice of minimally-invasive, or non-invasive, surgery utilizes medical instruments inserted through one or more cannulas in a patient's body and manipulated from outside of the body by a surgeon. The well-known benefits of using minimally-invasive surgery stem from the need to make only one or more relatively small puncture wounds in a patient and include a reduced risk of infection and faster recovery time.
In one example, intestinal surgery can be performed by inserting laparoscopic surgical instruments through cannulas placed in puncture wounds in the patient's abdominal wall. To conclude the surgery, a laparoscopic suturing device must be used to close the incisions inside the abdominal chamber.
One known suturing device for use in minimally invasive surgery is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,769 (Baber). In that patent, an arcuate needle is secured to a barrel and fed with one end of a suturing thread. The suturing thread extends through a bore in the needle and emerges through an opening proximal to the needle tip. A knot is tied at the end of the suturing thread so when the needle punctures a hole in the tissue, the knot will not be able to follow the needle tip through the hole in the tissue. An arc, or loop, of suturing thread is formed when the needle tip extends through the tissue and the suturing thread is pulled through the bore as the knot remains outside of the hole. The loop is then captured and held by a separate member. The needle tip is backed out of the hole in the tissue and threaded through the loop to form a chain stitch.
While the apparatus described in the Baber patent may have certain benefits, further improvements in laparoscopic suturing devices are desirable to simplify the process of suturing incisions, increase the speed and precision at which such sutures are made, and otherwise generally overcome shortcomings with conventional suturing devices.